Agriculture Minister to be DMK’s lieutenant for polls in north zone

CHENNAI: Over a week after appointing its principal secretary, KN Nehru, among the senior leaders as heads of seven party zones of the State to oversee the preparations for the 2026 Assembly polls, the ruling DMK has reportedly added another member to its team to add diversity.

State Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister and Cuddalore district secretary, MRK Panneerselvam, is said to have been appointed as the eighth zonal head, ostensibly, to balance the social composition of the election preparation team of the Dravidian major.

Minister MRK Panneerselvam would be in charge of Cuddalore, Villupuram and Kancheepuram districts, highly placed DMK sources disclosed to DT Next. They attributed the appointment to the absence of a member belonging to the most populous community with high concentration in the northern districts in the election think tank.

Explaining the social engineering model behind the appointment of the existing seven zonal heads, a DMK senior leader explained that the existing seven members largely hailed from a politically mobilised/populous community or they are resourceful leaders known for their electioneering prowess in their respective regions.

The zones allocated to the seven leaders were also chosen based on their dominance in a particular region or their influence among particular communities in the region, said a DMK leader on condition of anonymity. However, the team lacked a member of the community heavily concentrated in the erstwhile Arcot districts (inclusive of present-day Tiruvannamalai, Cuddalore and Villupuram districts.

MRK Panneerselvam has been picked to balance the social composition and appoint a leader wielding influence among the community in the region, the DMK leader added.

Meanwhile, the zonal heads appointed earlier have started holding the first round of meetings in their respective zones. One such meeting in the Delta region helmed by senior minister KN Nehru revealed fissures in the Mayiladuthurai DMK unit.

A few days ago, supporters of the party’s Mayiladuthurai district secretary, Nivetha M Murugan and another camp in the same district engaged in one such meeting chaired by Nehru there. Shockingly, a minister in charge of the district endorsed the adverse feedback provided by the critics of the district secretary. A frustrated Nehru was stated to have vented his ire and offered to apprise the high command of the friction in the local party unit. Similar meetings are being held by Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, E V Velu and Senthilbalaji in their respective turfs.